If it's just a broken igniter you can probably replace it yourself today. It's a little piece of ceramic that heats up enough to light the gas, and mine broke last year from wear. I was able to get a new one same day at an HVAC supply store up in Timonium and it was an extremely easy job to replace it. Just pull out your old one and look for a part number. Might be a different story with something from 1976 though.